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On Saturday, the 4th XI entertained a strong Cookstown team at a
bitterly cold Ballykillaire. One of only two club sides to take the
field at the weekend, the team were buoyed by the return of the fit
again Stranaghan who took up his usual position at the heart of the
defence.
Bangor started the game brightly, retaining possession and making the
opposition work hard in the early exchanges. The home midfield passed
the ball well and looked to find the intelligent running of the Bangor
forwards at every opportunity. Despite the good start, an inability to
find the killer instinct in the circle let the away team back into the
match. Cookstown started to find their rhythm and were starting to ask
some questions of their own. They won two short corners in quick
succession but failed to find the target.
Towards the end of the first half, Bangor got the breakthrough they
were looking for and deserved. Good approach play by Coughlin and
Irvine wreaked havoc in the opposition defence. A melee developed and
a mis-hit clearance by one of the defenders fell to Irvine, who
promptly dispatched the ball superbly low to the keeper's right.
The half time whistle followed soon after and Shields gave his usual
stirring talk, highlighting the importance of pushing home the
advantage gained in the first half.
However it was the away team that started the second half the
brighter, with complacency seemingly infiltrating the Bangor ranks. A
number of attacks were repelled successfully by the home defence
before a number of substitutions steadied the home ship. This
fortitude bore fruit within ten minutes of the restart as Robin
Coughlin, with Bangor's first attack of the 2nd half, doubled their
advantage with a well taken goal.
Confidence was now high and it looked as if a third goal was on the
cards. However, like so many times this season, the 4th XI seemed to
go to sleep for fifteen minutes at a crucial period in the match.
Cookstown attacked well on the counter and it was one of these forays
into Bangor territory that brought them back into the match. A short
corner was won and at the second attempt the ball was hit fiercely
past Thompson into the roof of the net to make the score 2-1.
Within ten minutes the scores were level. Again, sloppy play in the
midfield and defence let an opposition player waltz virtually
unopposed into the circle. As Thompson came out to close the angle
down, the ball was squared to an advancing Cookstown player who scored
what was probably the simplest goal of his career. 2-2.
As the game came to a close, Cookstown looked the likelier of the two
sides to snatch a winner, but the game ended as it had started, with
the sides level.
A slightly disappointing result, given the fact that the team had
built a two goal lead, but positives can be taken from a game in which
the 4th XI matched and bettered at times, a team pushing for
promotion.
A welcome break from the league campaign now awaits the team, with a
home tie against Lisnagarvey in the cup this Saturday.
Man of the match for the home side was Andrew Walker.
Many thanks to Robbie McMinn and Dowie Holley for umpiring. |